Today, one can find ryokans at every format throughout Japan, from large family-friendly resorts to family-owned spots with a bed-and-breakfast character.  After World War II, the five-star ryokan model once again took shape, but in a modern context that bridged the legacies of the Edo-period with modern-day pampering. The most upscale among them feature painstakingly appointed hot spring bathhouse areas, full-service spas, cultural experiences and formal kaiseki multi-course dinners. And yes, no crowds. It puts a different spin on the “all-inclusive” package, with hands-on service, ceremony and presentation of food and beverage, as well as the opportunity to experience a taste of Japanese hospitality as it existed in the days before rail, auto and air travel.

Hoshinoya Kyoto

Hoshinoya Kyoto, located in Arashiyama, 40 minutes by train from downtown, is as far as one can go from and still be in Kyoto. At this hidden luxury ryokan, the suites are well-appointed with the most breathtaking part of the stay is one’s roomy personal suite, featuring a wooden Japanese tub and expansive picture windows. Guests will also love the cozy pajamas and traditional daytime resort garments worn during a stay. Slide screens open out into an extraordinary backdrop for a Japanese breakfast prepared in-room, headlined by a perfectly prepared piece of salmon.

The property offers a roster of decidedly low-tech calming activities such as morning stretching, breathing exercises, tea drinking ceremonies, incense burning ceremonies favored by the samurai, and Japanese whisky tastings. Lovingly manicured paths wind from the reception area to a main dining room where a beautiful kaiseki (multicourse) dinner is prepared as well as a common room for socializing and cultural discussions, poetry readings, live music and a whiskey tasting at cocktail hour. Come at the right time, and you may be able to take advantage of a command performance and conversation with a maiko (young geisha protégé) and her geiko (older mentor), which is for some a very pleasant and more authentic alternative to the busy Gion district drawing the curious to seek out geishas and geisha culture.

“It’s a more immersive, personal way to experience Japanese culture, history and nature, and the quiet space is a departure from the kind of travel involving a rush from place to place,” says Toshiyuki Sakai, the general manager of the Kyoto property during my visit. “You should focus on being in the moment, which cannot happen in a 21st century city center. You should also use all of your senses—not just your eyes—to grasp Japanese culture.”

Yoshida Sanso 

Anybody interested in delving deeper into history and the old ways of day-to-day life will want to seek out an independently owned ryokan like Yoshida Sanso. It is located atop a hill in a residential section of Kyoto near the Ginkaku-ji (Silver) Temple. Kyoko and Tomoko Nakamura, its second and third-generation proprietors, put their heart and soul what the guests will experience. The former private home retains its original 1930s character, down to homespun kaiseki dinners and breakfasts featuring generations of old family recipes.

“This home became a ryokan in 1948 when its owner, the uncle of Emperor Akihito, became a monk after World War II,” said Tomoko. “Although my father’s granduncle, a successful Tokyo women’s magazine publisher, purchased the house as a sort of dormitory for his traveling colleagues. He wanted a home-like setting for his colleagues doing business in Kyoto and Osako. He insisted it has the comforts of their own homes, and then some. They did everything from providing home-cooked but elegant meals, to drawing the baths—replicating a homestay. However, it was my grand-aunt who ran the daily operations, and it was unusual for a woman to have this career back then.”